FOOD&DRINKS
Do you want to taste something really home-made?
You are fed up with food from mega markets or drinks from industrial wine cellars?
You want your stay to be remembered by unforgettable flavours?
You have come to the right place. Welcome to Serbia.
Eastern Serbia can boast of being one of the best regions for enjoying gastronomy. A long tradition of food preparation in the family, abundance of groceries rich in taste, without the need for addition of various spices and flavour enhancers, as is the case in some other national cuisines, has been interwoven in the catering segment as well.
We recommend :
Food from this region is delicious and often piquant, so it satisfies all the senses, irresistibly increasing appetite. Meat, particularly grill and various types of roast, spices (pepper, sweet basil, horseradish, dill) and fresh vegetables are used in large quantities in our cuisine. Here it is customary for a meal to consist of at least one meat course, which takes a prominent place among our recipes. Our cuisine originated from the mixture of culinary traditions under the influence of our neighbours, particularly Turkish and Bulgarian cuisine with some admixture from Greek and Austrian ones. Here you will be able to taste some Shopska or Torlak meals which cannot be found anywhere else. This gives our cuisine a heterogeneous aspect.
If you want to learn local recipes and prepare some of those dishes when you get back home, you are at the right place again. Local hosts will be happy to help you with that and reveal their culinary secrets for you. Or you can cook together with them.
Cuisine of eastern Serbia is characterized by shepherd pies, belmuž (a dish made from cheese and flour), janjija (made from three types of meat and different vegetables), nettle broth and baked beans which is a special gourmet experience. Of national dishes which cannot be found often in other parts of Serbia we can single out these: cornbread prepared in fat, cheese broth, polenta, Vlach flatbread, green walnut salad and Vlach polenta (mamaljiga). The cheese is the real one – because we do not make kajmak here.
Restaurants in eastern Serbia have had a long tradition and up to this day they have remained the so-called “temples for enjoyment of food”. With the help of tradition on one hand and frequent innovations and advancement in all culinary and catering elements on the other, eastern Serbia will conquer you with its flavours. The things that have remained the same and have not changed from ancient times are: hospitality and exquisite flavours. There are restaurants to everyone’s liking, whether they opt for national, international or local cuisine.
Did you know that during the blight in the vineyards in France before the Second World War the French bought grapes in Negotin Krajina? Warm summers, cold winters and a large number of sunny days in eastern Serbia favourably affect grapevine. Negotin Wine Route and Knjazevac Wine Route represent real wine treasury of Serbia. In recent wine history of Serbia, wines from this region have excelled due to their qualities, which was confirmed at the most important international wine competitions. It is significant that winemakers from this region have built their identity equally on autochthonous and international grape varieties. Of autochthonous grape varieties in the old vineyards one can still find the following ones: Začinka, Bagrina, Vranac, Crna Tamjanika. However, identity of this region also includes some international varieties: Gamut, Cabernet Sauvignon, Vranac, Smederevka, Italian Riesling, Sauvignon and Sémillon.
Altitude, clean, unpolluted air and mild continental climate are very favourable for cultivation of medicinal plants. With devoted attention from the plant growers in eastern Serbia, here appeared many well-known teas from the sunny mountain slopes which have preserved all the natural values of medicinal plants. We recommend tasting Rtanj tea.
Thanks to the climate and specific biodiversity, there are great conditions for beekeeping in this region and that is why one can find top quality honey and various honey products here. Bees are thought to have been grown in this region since ancient times, because in the distant past the region was inhabited by the Thracians, the Celts, the Romans and finally, the Slavs who were engaged in traditional beekeeping. Honey and bees are present in traditional medicine of eastern Serbia, in its beliefs and customs. The most frequently produced types of honey are: forest, meadow, acacia, linden and flower honey.
Rakija (brandy) is one of the most popular drinks in eastern Serbia and is mostly produced from plums, quinces, apricots, apples, pears and grapes. Very often these fruits are mixed with various herbs, sour cherry, hazelnut and honey to improve its flavour and quality. Rakija is best described in the verse of Momo Kapor: "Rakija contains the essence of Serbian being: joy at first, then exquisiteness of taste, then anger, compassion, feeling that the world is good and that all people that drink are our friends".
You like juices made according to the recipes of our grandmothers or you really like juices that are completely natural? Eastern Serbia is famous for production of fruit and here you can easily find such juices. Pay attention to juices from sour cherry, blueberry or elder.